The next event in the expenditure cycle is the receipt of the inventory. Goods arriving
from the vendor are reconciled with the blind copy of the PO. The blind copy, illustrated in Figure 10.17, contains no quantity or price information about the products being received.
The purpose of the blind copy is to force the receiving clerk to count and inspect inventories prior to completing the receiving report. At times, receiving docks are very busy and receiving staff are under pressure to unload the delivery trucks and sign the bills of lading so the truck drivers can go on their way. If receiving clerks are only provided quantity information, they may be tempted to accept deliveries on the
basis of this information alone, rather than verify the quantity and condition of the
goods. Shipments that are short or contain damaged or incorrect items must be detected before the firm accepts and places the goods in inventory. The blind copy is an important device in reducing this exposure.
Upon completion of the physical count and inspection, the receiving clerk prepares
a receiving report stating the quantity and condition of the inventories. Figure 10.18
contains an example of a receiving report. One copy of the receiving report accompanies the physical inventories to either the raw materials storeroom or finished goods warehouse for safekeeping. Another copy is filed in the open/closed PO file to close out the purchase order. A third copy of the receiving report is sent to the AP department, where it is filed in the AP pending file. A fourth copy of the receiving report is sent to inventory control for updating the inventory records. Finally, a copy of the receiving report is placed in the receiving report file